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Shelby County commission chairman Justin Ford is running for Memphis Mayor in 2015.

Ford announced his intention to challenge Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. Monday, Feb. 9, joining former county commissioner James Harvey, city council member Jim Strickland, and former University of Memphis basketball player Detric Golden in the growing field.

Tom Minyard, a 31-year veteran of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has joined Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon Inc. as the civil works program manager. In his new role, Minyard’s responsibilities include the advancement of the firm’s strategic direction as it relates to its civil works program for local, state and federal governments. His areas of technical interest include flood risk reduction, navigation, ecosystem restoration and emergency response.

Dr. Jason Williams has joined the staff of Memphis Obstetrics & Gynecological Association PC, where he will focus on women’s health care issues, including prevention, diagnosis and management of many general medical conditions. As an OB/GYN, he specializes in general obstetrical care, infertility, pelvic disorders, and prevention and detection of diseases such as breast and cervical cancer.

Democrats don’t consider it a successful campaign season unless there is some kind of intra-party dust up, the political axiom goes.

That conventional political wisdom loses its validity the more Republicans win, and it suggests that when the differences within the party aren’t mended by a Democratic victory, a bigger skirmish is likely on the horizon.

The Memphis Bar Association poll of attorneys on the judicial races on the Aug. 7 ballot shows 16 percent to as high as 38 percent of the attorneys participating have no opinion in many of the judicial races.

Former Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone will challenge incumbent Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell in the August county general election after winning the Tuesday, May 6, Democratic mayoral primary.

As Shelby County Democrats try to improve on losing every countywide office to Republicans in the 2010 county elections, party leaders are also warning political figures who identify as Democrats not to cross party lines.

One of the six Shelby County Commission incumbents seeking re-election this year was effectively elected to a new four-year term in a new district with the noon Thursday, Feb. 20, filing deadline for candidates in the May county primaries.

Dr. Patrick Gray, an associate professor in Rhodes College’s department of religious studies, has received the college’s Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research. Gray’s research centers on biblical studies, specifically the history and literature of early Christianity and the Greco-Roman context.

Greg deWitt’s history degree doesn’t necessarily come into play during his day-to-day leasing of office space, but it speaks to his early-on fascination with the built environment and the movers and shakers who helped to create it.

The Greater Memphis Chamber has a new chairman of the board. Larry Cox, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, has been elected by the chamber board to succeed former Smith & Nephew executive Joe DeVivo.

Larry Cox, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, has been elected by the chamber board to succeed former Smith & Nephew executive Joe DeVivo. DeVivo now works for Albany, N.Y.-based medical device provider AngioDynamics.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas House leaders said they want next year's abbreviated legislative session to focus only on passing a budget and that they plan to discourage fellow lawmakers from introducing other measures, including new tax cuts.

And all 12 of the Memphis City Council members seeking re-election won new four year terms in the city election cycle, marking the largest return of incumbents to the 13-member council in the 43-year history of the mayor-council form of government.

Smith & Nephew Inc. said its Memphis-based president of Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Trauma will soon leave the company as part of an organizational restructuring that will combine the company’s Memphis and Andover, Mass., divisions.

Four incumbent Memphis City Council members and all three incumbent City Court Judges were effectively re-elected at the Thursday, July 21, noon deadline for candidates to file their qualifying petitions for the Oct. 6 Memphis ballot.

A San Jose, Calif.-based worldwide electronics distributor is entering the Memphis area with full force.

WPG Americas Inc. has signed a 54,000-square-foot lease at Airways Distribution Center, 481 Industrial Drive, in Southaven. The project – a relocation of the WPG America’s New York facility – represents a $1.5 million investment by the company and will create 60 jobs over the next three years.

The Greater Memphis Chamber has a new chairman, it announced Thursday.

Joseph “Joe” DeVivo was named chairman of the board by a unanimous vote by his fellow directors. DeVivo, who is president of orthopedic reconstruction for Smith & Nephew Inc., assumes the leadership position immediately.

The Greater Memphis Chamber has a new chairman, it announced Thursday.

Joseph “Joe” DeVivo was named chairman of the board by a unanimous vote today by his fellow directors. DeVivo, who is president of orthopedic reconstruction for Smith & Nephew Inc., assumes the leadership position immediately.

Howell Marketing CEO Amy Howell has a lot to say in a blog she posted this week about her firm’s deep involvement in media strategy for Pinnacle Airlines Corp.’s decision on a new headquarters location.

Interim County Mayor Joe Ford became the Democratic nominee for mayor in the August county general elections Tuesday night.

And the August sheriff’s race will be a contest between Democrat Randy Wade and Republican Randy Wade.

All three were among the winners in Tuesday’s low turnout county primaries.

Approximately ten percent of Shelby County’s nearly 600,000 voters cast ballots in early voting and election day polling.

Ford, who was appointed interim mayor in December, beat County Commissioner Deidre Malone and General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson in the Democratic primary. He will face Republican Mark Luttrell who had only token opposition in the Republican primary from perennial contender Ernie Lunati.

Luttrell has raised more money than all three of the Democratic primary contenders combined and began running television ads in the last week runup to election day.

The final unofficial totals in the Democratic mayoral primary are:

Ford 20,360 57%

Malone 12,916 37%

Jackson 2,168 6%

The pair of primaries for Sheriff featured eight candidates, seven of whom either currently work for the sheriff’s department or are past employees. Only Reginald French, in the Democratic primary was not a former or current department official.

Wade was the 2002 Democratic nominee, losing to Luttrell who is leaving as Sheriff after serving two terms. French was the Democratic nominee in the 2006 elections.

Oldham is Luttrell’s chief deputy, the number two position in the department. He is also a former director of the Memphis Police Department.

Voters in the primary elections decided to return six Shelby County commissioners to new four year terms with Tuesday’s results. They also elected six new commissioners. The winner of the thirteenth commission seat will be decided on the August general election ballot in a contest between district 5 Democratic incumbent Steve Mulroy and Republican challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos. The winner of the match up will determine whether the commission remains majority Democrat or goes majority Republican.

In the remaining ten contests, the primaries decided who gets the seats since no one ran in the opposing party’s primary.

The most hotly contested contest among the commission races was for District 4 Position 1. Outgoing Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas beat John Pellicciotti, appointed to a commission seat last year but running for a different position in the same district. Jim Bomprezzi, the former mayor of Lakeland, was the third contender in the contest.

The final unofficial totals in the Republican primary:

Thomas 7,631 52%

Pellicciotti 4,871 33%

Bomprezzi 2,298 15%

In position 2 of the same district incumbent Republican Wyatt Bunker easily overcame two challengers with former Lakeland alderman John Wilkerson finishing second and Ron Fittes finishing third.

Millington businessman Terry Roland claimed the third position in the district that takes in all six of Shelby County’s suburban towns and cities.

Roland beat George Chism to take the seat Pellicciotti was appointed to but opted not to run for in deference to Roland.

Heidi Shafer, an aide to outgoing County Commissioner George Flinn, claimed Flinn’s District 1 Position 2 seat over Albert Maduska.in the GOP primary.

In the Democratic commission primaries, Melvin Burgess claimed Malone’s District 2 Position 3 seat in a field of six contenders. His closest contender was Reginald Milton. Burgess, a city school system audit manager, had run for the seat before. He brought in 54 percent of the vote.

The other hard fought Democratic commission primary saw Justin Ford, son of the interim mayor, claim his father’s District 3 Position 3 seat.

Ford beat Edith Moore, a retired IBM executive, whom the commission appointed to the seat after the elder Ford became mayor.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Ford 7,342 66%

Moore 3,822 34%

Democratic incumbent commissioners Henri Brooks, Sidney Chism and James Harvey were all re-elected over primary challengers.

The county-wide primaries for seven clerk’s positions saw the return of former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican 16 years after Republican challenger Bill Key took her job. Johnican decisively beat Ralph White and Vernon Johnson in her first bid for office since the 1994 defeat. She will face Republican Kevin Key, the son of Bill Key in the August general election.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Johnican 16,381 51%

White 10,170 31%

Johnson 5,954 18%

Former Juvenile Court Clerk Shep Wilbun easily won the Democratic primary with 76 percent of the vote to face Republican Joy Touliatos in August for the office being vacated by Republican Steve Stamson. Touliatos was unopposed in the primary.

Aside from Leatherwood, Jimmy Moore is the only other of the seven clerks seeking re-election. Moore ran unopposed in the GOP primary. He will face Democrat Ricky Dixon in August.

Trustee Regina Newman was appointed to her office following the death last year of Paul Mattila. Newman easily overcame M LaTroy Williams in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. She will face David Lenoir, who beat former Shelby County Commissioner John Willingham in the Republican contest.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Lenoir 15,922 58%

Willingham 11,569 42%

The other six candidate field on the ballot was in the Democratic primary for Probate Court Clerk. Sondra Becton posted impressive vote totals over her rivals, bringing in 35 percent of the vote with Peggy Dobbins her closest rival. Becton, who is making her fourth bid for the office, will face Republican Paul Boyd, who ran unopposed in his primary.

The closest contest of the evening was in the Democratic primary for County Clerk. Wrestling promoter and television personality Corey Maclin won his political debut by less than 1,400 votes over Charlotte Draper and LaKeith Miller. He will face Republican Wayne Mashburn who beat Steve Moore in the companion primary.

Early voting in advance of the Aug. 5 election day begins July 16. The August ballot will also feature state and federal primary elections including the statewide primaries for governor and the primaries for all nine of the state’s Congressional districts.

After a year of turbulence, the Memphis political scene continues to remake itself.

The May 4 and Aug. 5 elections don’t have the focused drama of last October’s special election for Memphis mayor, but they represent new chapters in a story that could end with a new generation of political leaders and at least a passing of the political baton.

February, the shortest month of the year with only 28 calendar days, is at a natural disadvantage when it comes to home sales.

Toss in this past February’s record cold temperatures coupled with winter storms wreaking havoc on the area, and it probably wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the housing market suffer yet another slow period.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary for mayor grew to three contenders as General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson filed his qualifying petition just before the deadline. He joins interim County Mayor Joe Ford and Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone.

Luttrell ruled out a bid for Shelby County mayor last year (2009). But when Harold Byrd decided not to run in the Democratic primary, some local GOP leaders asked Luttrell to reconsider.

The result touched off a scramble of candidates from both parties for the open sheriff’s office. But before the noon deadline, the initial field of over a dozen possible contenders was narrowed to ten – six Democrats and four Republicans.

The other surprise at the filing deadline was the return of attorney Walter Bailey to the District 2 Position 1 seat he gave up in the 2006 elections. Bailey sought re-election then to another term despite a two term limit on commissioners. Bailey lost to J.W. Gibson who decided not to seek re-election. He also lost a court fight to overturn the term limits.

Bailey was the only candidate who had filed for the seat at the Thursday deadline.

Only one incumbent county commissioner – Republican Mike Ritz -- was effectively re-elected at the deadline because he had no opposition.

All but one of the eleven contested County Commission races will be decided with the May 4 primaries. The only general election battle for the August ballot is the district 5 contest between GOP challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos and whoever wins the May Democratic primary between incumbent Steve Mulroy and Jennings Bernard.

Former County Commissioner John Willingham also returned to the ballot among a field of Republican contenders in the primary for Shelby County Trustee.

And former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican joined the Democratic primary field for her old job. Incumbent Republican Bill Key pulled petition to seek re-election but did not file at the deadline.

Here is the list of races and contenders from The Shelby County Election Commission. All candidate have until noon Feb. 25 to withdraw from the ballot if they wish.

Shelby County Commissioners took several rounds to do it, but got through the last two appointments left from the busy 2009 political year.

At the group’s first meeting of 2010, Republican John Pellicciotti was appointed to the District 4 Position 3 seat vacated in December by Democrat Matt Kuhn. Kuhn resigned to become a policy adviser to interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford.

Shelby County Commissioners took several rounds to do it, but got through the last two appointments left from the busy 2009 political year.

At the group’s first meeting of 2010, Republican John Pellicciotti was appointed to the District 4 Position 3 seat vacated in December by Democrat Matt Kuhn. Kuhn resigned to become a policy adviser to interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford.

2009 was a year without a script – and plenty of improvising on the political stage.

It was supposed to be an off-election year except in Arlington and Lakeland.

2008 ended with voters in the city and county approving a series of changes to the charters of Memphis and Shelby County governments. Those changes were supposed to set a new direction for both entities, kicking into high gear in 2010 and ultimately culminating two years later.

A retired IBM executive who decided to take a political leap at the last minute is the newest Shelby County Commissioner.

Edith C. Moore got seven votes from eleven members of the Shelby County Commission in the sixth round of voting to fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Joe Ford’s appointment as interim Shelby County Mayor.

A retired IBM executive who decided to take a political leap at the last minute is the newest Shelby County Commissioner.

Edith C. Moore got seven votes from eleven members of the Shelby County Commission in the sixth round of voting to fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Joe Ford’s appointment as interim Shelby County Mayor.

The invitations urged political supporters to “Return Shep Wilbun” to the Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk’s office.

At a club on South Main Street this month as FedExForum began to fill up a few blocks away, Wilbun hosted an evening fundraiser at $100 a head. It drew State Reps. Ulysses Jones, Larry Miller and Joe Towns as well as Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy.

Each person signing must be a registered voter in the city of Memphis and list the address that is on their voter registration record.

A total of 33 petitions were filed by the noon deadline. But several candidates were disqualified for not having enough signatures. And then three were returned to the list of candidates after a second check of their petitions. Those who returned to candidate status included Memphis school board member Sharon Webb.

Those who made today's cut have until noon Sept. 10 to withdraw from the race. The field will then become final.

Sullivan showed up at the Election Commission in a white Rolls Royce wearing a white suit.

“When you see this white suit, you know I’m coming at you,” he told reporters as he outlined a plan to turn The Pyramid over to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital instead of the proposed lease to Bass Pro Shops.

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Sullivan said of the mayor’s race.

When someone asked if he would still be in the race after next week’s withdrawal deadline, Sullivan said he was in “to the violent end.”

“You know you can’t win,” political blogger and radio talk show host Thaddeus Matthews said to Sullivan.

“Why not?” Sullivan replied.

Anthony Willoughby, the last candidate to file before noon, told reporters he was a Realtor-broker who played a role in the development of Banneker Estates in southwest Memphis, the subdivision developed by former Mayor Willie Herenton.

“I’m not a politician,” Willoughby said. “I’m going to run on that statement.”

Willoughby didn't have enough qualified signatures, though. So he won't be running.

Daniko Flowers, a construction worker still wearing his safety vest, showed up at five minutes before noon and checked out a petition. He returned at three minutes past noon and was not allowed to file. Flowers only had 18 signatures on the petition anyway.

Jess Parrish used to say that when he started Shelby State Community College in 1970, he ran it out of the trunk of his car. His comment reflected the hard work it took to start a two-year college. Parrish also was acknowledging some of the perceptions about community colleges that exist to this day – eight years after SSCC merged with State Technical Institute to become Southwest Tennessee Community College, the largest community college in the state.

Hartsfield will oversee the continued stability and growth of the foundation’s fiscal, strategic, organizational and operational functions. Her duties also will include building and maintaining relationships with community leaders, as well as creating collaborations, which will enhance the foundation’s strategic model.

Changes are in the works at a pair of funeral businesses run by separate members of the prominent Ford family.

Several years after its last renovation, the longtime family business of the Fords - the N.J. Ford & Sons Funeral Parlor at 12 South Parkway - is getting an extensive makeover, to the tune of more than half a million dollars. Joe Ford, the Shelby County Commission member and president of the business, has taken out a $519,802 loan for the project, according to The Daily News Online, www.memphisdailynews.com.

Sheila Mitchell, director of pharmacy services at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital, has been elected president of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy. Mitchell has worked for Methodist for more than 20 years. She is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Pharmacy and has served on several committees for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The Tennessee House of Representatives honored her in 2002 for her local contributions to her field.

Martha Boyd was named director of development for the Trezevant Manor Foundation.

The New York Times Co. Broadcast Media Group announced that Bruce Moore was named news director of WREG-TV in Memphis, effective Jan. 30. Moore is a 15-year veteran of WVEC-TV in Norfolk, Va. He served as assistant director of WVEC-TV for seven years. He graduated from the University of Georgia.

Circuit Court Judge Rita L. Stotts received the Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award presented annually by the Association for Women Attorneys. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to women in the legal profession.

Amanda Dame joined archer>malmo as an account supervisor. She will manage the Valent U.S.A. team and leading new business dev...

79. Archived Article: Real Focus - Tuesday, November 24, 1998 Home builders association elects 1999 volunteer leadership team Home builders association elects 1999 volunteer leadership team By DAVID REEL Special to The Daily News David Gribble of Boyle Investment Co. has been elected to serve as 1999 president...

81. Archived Article: Govt Spot - Friday, September 11, 1998 A project has cleared two hurdles and will soon by underway to bring a new eatery to Harbor Town Proposed Harbor Town restaurant clears commission hurdles Construction is expected to begin within 30 days, take six months By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily N...

82. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, June 17, 1998 Rick Ruffin has joined Morgan Keegan & Co Rick Ruffin has joined Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc. as a first vice president in institutional fixed income sales. Ruffin formerly was manager of J.C. Bradfords client services group. He has a bachelors ...

83. Archived Article: Nfwbo Study Lj - Friday, October 25, 1996 lj 10/5 cates Despite great strides, study shows women business owners still lag behind men in credit levels By LAURIE JOHNSON The Daily News Over the past several years, female business owners have made great strides in securing capital for their v...